Chapter 987: The Frenzied Sovereigns (2)

Not long after, within a massive Sovereign's temple.

"Yan Yan, you messaged me saying you have a matter of utmost importance to report?" Sovereign Zhen Guang looked down from his lofty throne.

His commanding gaze exuded such dominance that Astral Monarch Yan Yan's heart trembled involuntarily.

"Sovereign, I shall explain at once," Astral Monarch Yan Yan replied respectfully. "My disciple, Astral Lord Xia Xiao, was exploring the Sacred Flame Ravine when he stumbled upon an Earth Essence Stone ore mountain... His mana body has just been destroyed. The enemy is likely a quasi-Astral Monarch from the Greenridge Immortal World." He swiftly recounted the entire affair, while also displaying the memory projection from Astral Lord Xia Xiao.

Silence fell.

"An essence stone ore mountain, ten thousand li high?" Sovereign Zhen Guang stared intently at the essence stone ore mountain in the projection, tremendous waves of shock churning in his mind.

Heavens! The Astral Lords and Astral Monarchs might be unaware, but as a Sovereign with extremely high perspective, he knew that if Astral Lord Xia Xiao's intelligence was accurate, the value of this essence stone ore mountain was likely equivalent to hundreds of high-grade Dao Instruments.

No! It might even approach that of a Xiantian artifact.

Such an essence stone ore mountain should only appear in a level two or even level one exploration site in the universe, or perhaps even in the cosmic sea. How could it appear in our Greenridge Macrocosm?

Sovereign Zhen Guang's heart trembled—it was an exceedingly rare occurrence. Yet, at the same time, a surge of excitement welled up within him.

A stroke of fortune! An opportunity! This is my chance to rise to prominence.

After a brief moment of consideration, Sovereign Zhen Guang made his decision – seal the news! He wanted to monopolize this windfall.

If I’m the first to arrive and set up arrays, even if I can't move the entire mountain, I can still mine it slowly and maximize my gains. If I pass this information to Ming Jian, Bei You, and the others, they'll likely take most of the treasures, leaving me with only a small fraction.

Sovereign Zhen Guang pondered.

Everyone had selfish desires. Faced with such an enormous treasure trove, it was only natural that Sovereign Zhen Guang would want to keep it all for himself. If he could claim it entirely, he'd have a real chance of advancing to mid-stage Sovereign or even late-stage Sovereign, and could acquire a vast number of high-grade Dao Instruments.

Of course, there were risks - Sovereigns from the Eternal Sun Immortal World might already be on their way.

I'll gamble on arriving first.

Sovereign Zhen Guang gritted his teeth and immediately issued orders to Astral Monarch Yan Yan: "Do not leak this information. Do not inform the other Sovereigns of our immortal world."

"Understood," Astral Monarch Yan Yan replied, having already guessed the Sovereign's intentions. He felt that it was completely normal.

Soon after, both Sovereign Zhen Guang's mana body and true self departed from two separate locations.

Indeed! This time, Sovereign Zhen Guang had even dispatched his true self. Of course, his true self wouldn't immediately enter the Sacred Flame Ravine, but would wait in the distant void for an opportunity.

Super powerhouses seldom sent their true selves into battle, but when they did, it signified a pivotal moment—an opportunity for immense transformation or fortune. If he chose not to take the risk, he might regret it for a lifetime.

...

Within the Spacetime Sword Hall in the Ming Jian Realm.

Hmm?

Wu Yuan's qi refiner self sensed something and opened his eyes, gazing to one side of the hall. He was faintly perceiving a scene beyond endless spacetime.

Sovereign Zhen Guang's true self has left the Ming Jian Realm?

Wu Yuan frowned slightly.

What's he up to?

Normally, when a Sovereign went to war or on an adventure, they would only dispatch their mana body. If they deployed their true self, it usually meant they were on extremely important business.

Let him be.

Wu Yuan gently closed his eyes. The other was a Sovereign after all; it wouldn't be appropriate to pry.

...

Merely a day later, Sovereign Zhen Guang's mana body had arrived at the Sacred Flame Ravine. His aura was vast as he stood in outer space.

It's there.

With a single thought, the fluctuations of a complete Greater Law permeated the void, allowing him to sense all movements across a region spanning several light-years. Soon, he locked onto his target.

It really is such an essence stone ore mountain?

Sovereign Zhen Guang was overjoyed.

Haha, it's true.

His heart surged with exhilaration; the value of this mountain exceeded even his expectations, perhaps just enough to rival a Xiantian artifact.

It was worth noting that Xiantian artifacts were extremely difficult to obtain, their value impossible to measure with ordinary treasures. Even a few hundred high-grade Dao Instruments couldn't be exchanged for a single Xiantian artifact. This showed just how astonishing the value of this essence stone ore mountain truly was.

Whoosh~

Sovereign Zhen Guang took a single step, swiftly approaching the essence stone ore mountain and arriving about a hundred million li from it.

He examined the surrounding area. Without strong spatial suppression, he was able to gain rudimentary control over a radius of three-light-years around him. Of course, this was only a weak level of control, and other Sovereigns could easily tear it apart. However, it was more than enough to deal with Archimmortals and Archdeities.

All of you.

A cold gleam flashed in Sovereign Zhen Guang's eyes.

Silently, all Archimmortals and Archdeities within a radius of several light-years from the essence stone ore mountain died, their bodies exploding.

This was the power of a Sovereign, one who wielded a complete Greater Law coupled with powerful Sovereign mana. They could slay countless Archimmortals and Archdeities with a single thought. When the gap in strength reached such a level, numbers became meaningless.

I truly am the first to arrive. Arrays!

Sovereign Zhen Guang immediately began setting up arrays in this region of outer space – defense arrays, aura-concealing arrays, and offensive arrays. He came fully prepared. The countless treasures he had accumulated over endless years were all put to use in this moment.

When great fortune appears before you, seize it with all your might.

Boom!

Numerous powerful arrays enveloped an area spanning ten light-years, obscuring half of the Sacred Flame Ravine and completely concealing the intense fluctuations emanating from the essence stone ore mountain.

Let’s hope no other Sovereigns arrive.

Sovereign Zhen Guang mused, standing above the essence stone ore mountain.

His gaze swept over the scene below, eyes blazing with fervent greed. The entire mountain exuded an overwhelming pressure, but as a Sovereign, he easily withstood it.

Whoosh!

Sovereign Zhen Guang descended directly onto the mountain, its surface a rich earthen hue.

Bang! Bang!

Dao Instruments materialized around Sovereign Zhen Guang, a multitude of them hammering against the mountainside before him. Yet they merely left fissures ten zhangs long and less than one zhang deep. Moreover, these were mere cracks, not even separating the rock from the mountain itself.

So tough?

Sovereign Zhen Guang's eyes widened in disbelief.

He had initially attempted to collect the entire mountain at once, but it felt like trying to lift an entire mountain as a mortal—utterly impossible. He could only mine it slowly. Once mined it to a certain extent, causing the mountain's essence to dissipate, he could then swiftly extract everything.

But Sovereign Zhen Guang never imagined that progress would be this slow, even with him mining it personally.

Given its resilience, late-stage Astral Monarch strength would be needed to mine it.

Sovereign Zhen Guang deduced.

And even then, it would be excruciatingly slow.

I estimate it would take over a thousand late-stage Astral Monarch powerhouses to match my mining efficiency.

As a Sovereign, his mining speed naturally far surpassed others.

But still, this is far too slow.

Sovereign Zhen Guang felt a flicker of despair.

He activated his artifacts repeatedly, but each strike managed to penetrate only a few dozen zhangs into the surface.

One had to understand that the entire mountain stood tens of thousands of li tall. How long would it take to mine it all? The mere thought made his heart tremble.

This rate of treasure acquisition is still faster than during my usual expeditions.

Sovereign Zhen Guang immediately lowered his head and began mining in earnest.

His thoughts were clear. Regardless of what the future held, he would extract as much as possible now.

Time flowed on.

After a day, Sovereign Zhen Guang, who had been engrossed in mining, suddenly raised his head, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Boom!

Another powerful aura emanated from several light-years away, shaking this expanse of outer space.

Shi Qing?

Sovereign Zhen Guang's pupils contracted slightly.

Having lived for countless years, he was quite familiar with the auras of other powerful Sovereigns in the macrocosm. The newcomer was none other than Sovereign Shi Qing of the Voltari Temple.

No powerhouse from the Greenridge Immortal World has come, yet a Voltari Temple powerhouse arrives instead?

Sovereign Zhen Guang mused inwardly, filled with wariness.

"Shi Qing, I’m cultivating in seclusion here. Leave at once," Sovereign Zhen Guang's voice rang out coldly, carrying across the void.

"Haha, who do we have here? It's Zhen Guang," Sovereign Shi Qing, clad in black robes, stood in the emptiness of space. He couldn't help but laugh.

"The Sacred Flame Ravine? Your secluded cultivation grounds?" Sovereign Shi Qing transmitted with a grin. "Do you truly expect me to believe that?"

"Believe what you will," Sovereign Zhen Guang replied coldly, knowing Sovereign Shi Qing would not back down easily. The other party had rushed here for a reason, after all.

"I received some news from my subordinates," Sovereign Shi Qing transmitted with a chuckle. "I was somewhat skeptical at first. But now, Daoist Zhen Guang, seeing you arrive here even earlier than I, and erecting so many aura-concealment arrays—I'm eighty percent convinced.

“A great treasure has indeed manifested in this region of space," Sovereign Shi Qing said with a smile.

He was certain of it.

"There was indeed a treasure here earlier, but I've already collected it into my grotto-heaven and sent it back to my immortal world," Sovereign Zhen Guang replied coldly.

"Is that so?" Sovereign Shi Qing smiled. "Then I invite Daoist Zhen Guang to remove your arrays and allow me to search the area thoroughly. If there truly is no treasure, I shall depart without further ado."

“If the treasure had already been claimed, further conflict would be meaningless.

"This is my domain, part of my Eternal Sun Immortal World's territory. How can I allow you to investigate as you please?" Sovereign Zhen Guang said coldly. "Shi Qing, your strength may surpass mine, but with my arrays assisting me, you cannot defeat me. Turn back."

The numerous arrays he had established would prove immensely useful in a life-or-death battle.

This response made Sovereign Shi Qing frown. He was certain Sovereign Zhen Guang hadn't yet collected the treasure, but like Zhen Guang, he was reluctant to summon other Voltari Temple powerhouses.

Firstly, he hadn't fully confirmed the treasure's value, and this was Eternal Sun Immortal World territory—battling here would only end up with him creating more enemies.

Secondly, the more powerhouses participated, the smaller his share of spoils.

Just as Sovereign Shi Qing hesitated, a calm voice suddenly resonated through space. "Zhen Guang, if Shi Qing can’t make you remove your arrays, what about me?"

This voice penetrated the endless void, spreading across a hundred light-years, echoing directly within Sovereign Zhen Guang's arrays. The arrays he had painstakingly established failed to block it.

Following this, a magnificent stream of divine light appeared in the boundless void, like a bridge spanning the stars, seemingly infinite as it extended from several light-years away.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

This sight caused the faces of both Sovereign Shi Qing and Sovereign Zhen Guang to darken simultaneously.

"Qing Ling!"

"It's Sovereign Qing Ling." Sovereign Shi Qing and Sovereign Zhen Guang instantly realized who had arrived.

It was the number one powerhouse of the Greenridge Macrocosm—Sovereign Qing Ling.